The past couple of mornings have found me running in the predawn. I have been noticing a fair number of bird chirps as the sun comes up. The days are getting longer, birds are returning, the squirrels and rabbits have been very active, and I am itching to get back on the trail. Sure, I’ve been running 30 to 40 miles per week all winter(outside), but getting back on the trail with my belongings on my back and disappearing for a week or so is what I need right now. Despite what you’ve been conditioned to think about the subject, humans need to be outside running around, soaking up sunshine, and feeding their muscles more oxygenated blood. “That sounds like a bunch of hippy crap to me,” one might say. I challenge everyone to try it. No, you don’t have to go run 30 miles. But, you need to shut off the television after dinner and take a 30 minute walk or get up before the sun rises and head out then. The predawn is a magical time to be outside before everyone stirs and the waning moon still hangs in the western sky. Everybody’s got 30 minutes in a day to burn on a walk outside. Hell, leave your office at lunch and go then. The sun’s at its highest and you’re sure to catch the most rays. Before I tire of the subject, I’ll make one more plea that everyone get some outside time every day and I challenge you to tell me that you don’t feel better after a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, I’ll be on the Ozark Highlands Trail soaking up sun and probably some rain too. The OHT stretches 165 miles across Northern Arkansas. I’ll be hiking it end to end and turning around and doing it again. This week has found me stocking up on fuel for the 330 miles of hiking and getting my packing list pared down to an acceptable weight for the conditions I’ll see. Right now it looks like I’ll have around 15 pounds of gear and 22 pounds of food. The picture above didn’t come out of a Hyvee ad. It’s my stockpile of carbohydrates and fatty legumes that will bounce me down the trail. In case you’re wondering, that figures out to about 4000 calories per day. I will burn every bit of this and still lose some weight over the 10 or 11 days it takes me to cover the distance. Get outside!
